Swimming in the Kaaterskill Falls
July 6, 2019
My coworker suggested this trail when I told her we were going to spend few nights in the Catskills.
Our airbnb was about 40 mins drive north of the falls; since we were not early risers, we arrived in the area around 10:15am. After following 23A for a while, we came across the first parking lot at the trailhead. The lot was pretty full by the time we passed by and we saw few people hiking along the side of the road.
We decided to drive further north and pulled into the next lot (near Mountain Top Historical Society), the attendee was very nice and told us to drive to the next lot as the hiking distance to the falls is shorter. If you leave from the second lot, it will take about 1.5 miles to hike down to the falls (and $10 to park).
The 3rd and last parking lot (Laurel House Road) was quite spacious but we did have to wait a bit for a spot to free up. It was about 10:40am by the time we parked. I would suggest waiting for a spot if you aren’t in a hurry as the trails weren’t that long. But don’t be creative and park by the No Parking signs, we saw a cop giving out tickets.
Trail map
There are few choices you have to embark your journey:
Observation deck only (0.3 miles one way): Relatively easy hike with some elevation. You can admire the waterfall from here.
Hike to the falls only (0.7 miles one way): Moderately difficult hike with narrow path. The route takes you to the upper falls pool as well as another set of stairs that take you down to the Lower falls.
Combine #1 & #2 (2 miles round trip): Totally doable and even with some time in the water, we only spent about 1.5 hrs.
Kaaterskill Falls from the observation deck
Trail to the Lower Falls
Getting down to Lower Falls
Beautiful two-tier waterfalls
Remember, what goes down must come up…
Steps to return to the trail
Swimming in the upper falls pool.
After the hike, reward yourself with some delicious Mexican foods at La Casa Latina @ Catskill.
Tips
In my opinion, it is better to park at Laurel House Road as the hiking path there is more user friendly.
Check the water level before going. Bring swimsuits & towels with you if you plan to swim.
Wear water shoes walking in the falls to avoid stepping on some sharp rocks.
Parking is free (except for the lot by Mountain Top Historical Society) but the spaces are limited so plan to arrive early.